An Exploration of Early Life Stress Socioeconomic Status and Longevity in Post-Medieval Netherlands

Abstract

This paper examines the consequences of early life stress on an individual’s age-at-death in two contemporary samples of varying socioeconomic status. I examine macroscopic linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH) and maximum femoral length (MFL) as indicators of early life stress events and compare these data to age-at-death. The two populations under study are high status Zwolle (1681-1828; n=46; young adult=11, late young adult=6, middle adult=20, old adult=9; females=29, males=17) and low status Arnhem (1626-1829; n=113; young adult=16, late young adult=25, middle adult=53, old adult=19; females=53, males=60,). Methods for sex age-at-death estimation include accepted osteological techniques (pelvic, cranial). LEH was recorded by tooth and a measurement from the cemento-enamel junction was taken for every insult.

Results indicate that individuals with LEH are more likely to die young. However, the Arnhem population exhibits more frequent LEH insults per individual and insults extending throughout the lifecourse. MFL is not correlated with age-at-death in either population. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between LEH status and MFL (p=0.495, F=0.474); although, the mean MFL was greater in the non-LEH sample than the LEH sample in both Arnhem and Zwolle (female with LEH=423; female without LEH=427; male with LEH=457; male without LEH=463). These results suggest survival of multiple physiological insults in the Arnhem population; however, this did not provide an advantage to increased longevity compared to other adult cohorts. MFL may not correlate with age-at-death or LEH status because of catch-up growth, selective mortality, or heterogeneity in frailty.